lip

noun \ ˈlip \

Updated on: 20 Apr 2018

Definition of lip

1 : either of two fleshy folds that surround the mouth in humans and many other vertebrates and are organs of human speech essential to certain articulations; also : the red or pinkish margin of the human lip

2 slang : back talk

3 a : a fleshy edge or margin (as of a wound)

b : labium

c : labellum 1

d : a limb of a labiate corolla

4 a : the edge of a hollow vessel or cavity

b : a projecting edge: such as

(1) : the beveled upper edge of the mouth of an organ flue pipe

(2) : the sharp cutting edge on the end of a tool (such as an auger)

(3) : a short spout (as on a pitcher)

c : edge 2

5 : embouchure

—

lipless

play \ˈlip-ləs\ adjective

—

liplike

play \ˈlip-ˌlīk\ adjective

See lip defined for English-language learners

See lip defined for kids

Examples of lip in a Sentence

He had a cut on his lip.
She was nervously biting her lip.
the lips of a wound
the lip of a crater
the lip of a pitcher

Recent Examples of lip from the Web

Having been fairly absent from Instagram for the duration of her pregnancy, Kylie is back in full force, sharing photos of herself, bestie Jordyn Woods, and now, the pint-sized heir to the lip kit throne.

— avery matera, Teen Vogue, "Kylie Jenner Took Daughter Stormi Webster Out in a $12,500 Fendi Stroller," 13 Apr. 2018
On Thursday, Professor Trash Wheel’s Facebook page posted a promotional video for the beer starring Dolby, lip-syncing the pop song at a brewery and inside Professor Trash Wheel.

— wesley case, baltimoresun.com, "Thomas Dolby brings back hit song 'She Blinded Me With Science' for Trash Wheel beer," 12 Apr. 2018
Sunshine & Glitter also have glitter lip balm and glitter after sun for anyone who needs some aloe after staying out in the sun for a while.

— tamara fuentes, Seventeen, "Glitter Sunscreen Actually Exists, So You Can Protect Your Skin AND Keep It Sparkly," 9 Apr. 2018
Diana read a book for the first six hours of her labor, while Charles fed her ice chips and a nurse administered lip balm.

— marcia moody, Town & Country, "Here's What Really Happens Behind the Scenes of a Royal Birth," 5 Apr. 2018
Over the past month, GlaxoSmithKline, Reckitt Benckiser, and Johnson & Johnson have already looked at the business, which sells Chapstick lip balm, Advil pain reliever, and Centrum vitamins.

— ed silverman, STAT, "Pharmalittle: Will P&G buy the Pfizer consumer unit? China looks to boost generic production," 4 Apr. 2018
The products, packaged in gray and pink tubes or gold- and black-tone compacts, are the antithesis of the multistep lip kits and more-is-more looks made popular by millennial beauty vloggers.

— florence kane, WSJ, "At Home With the Power Couple Behind New Makeup Line Westman Atelier," 31 Mar. 2018
During that time, Jenner's gone back to selling lip kits, Stormi's learned how to take selfies, and Scott has been busy playing video games.

— refinery29.com, "Tyga Asks To Please Stop Calling Him Kylie Jenner's Baby Daddy," 28 Mar. 2018
Changing consumer habits are pushing down prices of everything from cough medicine to lip balm.

— Bloomberg.com, "Sell, Spin or Keep? Pfizer in a Quandary on Advil-Chapstick Unit," 23 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lip.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of lip

Middle English, from Old English lippa; akin to Old High German leffur lip and probably to Latin labium, labrum lip

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

lip

adjective

Definition of lip

1 : insincere

lip praise

2 : produced with the participation of the lips : labial

lip consonants

Examples of lip in a Sentence

part of the ritual of the awards ceremony is the nominee's lip praise for the performances of his or her competitors

Recent Examples of lip from the Web

One beauty product would be moisturizer with glycolic acid and one makeup product would be lip gloss.

— dave quinn, PEOPLE.com, "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," 10 Apr. 2018
Expect some swelling the first day or two, so don't have lip injections the same afternoon as an important date or meeting.

— micaela english, Town & Country, "T&C's Guide To Injectables: Which Ones To Consider, Cost, And How Long They Last," 17 Feb. 2016
West Brom striker Jay Rodriguez is set to hire a lip reader and leading QC in a bid to clear his name over the FA's charge of alleged racial abuse, according to The Telegraph.

— SI.com, "Jay Rodriguez to Hire Lip Reader in Attempt to Prove Innocence After Allegations of Racial Abuse," 15 Feb. 2018
But there was something else weird about the performance: Fans pointed out throughout the performance that Lamar appeared to be lip synching.

— matt miller, Esquire, "Kendrick Lamar Was Unusually Quiet During His Football Halftime Performance," 9 Jan. 2018
Girls may prefer lip balm, pretty paper and pencils, jeweled pens, hair accessories and scented lotion.

— kate vaught thompson, Cincinnati.com, "Less candy, more imagination in Easter baskets," 22 Feb. 2018
In the United States, no one seemed to take the stiff-upper-lip approach more seriously than U.S. Surgeon General Rupert Blue.

— ashley halsey iii, Washington Post, "A killer flu was raging. But in 1918, U.S. officials ignored the crisis to fight a war.," 3 Feb. 2018
And above-neck, the pigment popped best from lip level, finishing would-be dramatic beauty looks with a hint of buoyancy.

— calin van paris, Vogue, "5 Scene-Stealing Beauty Lessons From Couture Fashion Week," 25 Jan. 2018
Milk: Well with Drag Race and the art of being a drag queen, one of the things is lip-syncing.

— brennan carley, GQ, "Make Way for the Queens: A Roundtable on the Future of Drag," 25 Jan. 2018

First Known Use of lip

1558

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

lip Synonyms

lip

verb

Definition of lip

lipped; lipping

transitive verb

1 : to touch with the lips; especially : kiss

2 : utter

3 : to lap against : lick

4 : to hit (a putt) so that the ball hits the edge of the cup but fails to drop in —usually used with out

intransitive verb

: to hit the edge of the cup without dropping in —used with out

the putt lipped out

Examples of lip in a Sentence

the waves, reflecting the red glow of the sunset, gently lipped the prow

Recent Examples of lip from the Web

Behind two metal- lipped incense wells, a stone statuette stood clasping together its palms and dreaming, with a tall tomb-slab at its back.

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "As Innocuous as Plant No. 1," 10 Apr. 2018
That might not sound profound, but reports on UK employee compensation have outed some American companies that have been tight lipped here in the United States.

— bryce covert, The New Republic, "What the U.S. Can Learn from Britain on Equal Pay," 10 Apr. 2018
Best Lip Sync Assassin Winner: Alyssa Edwards Runners Up: Morgan McMichaels and Kennedy Davenport Who would the season 10 queens be most intimidated to lip sync against?

— patrick crowley, Billboard, "'RuPaul's Drag Race': The Season 10 Cast Picks the Best Alumni of All Time," 4 Apr. 2018
Pick transparent formulas, like a BB cream, sheer cream blush, and lip gloss.

— jennifer goldstein, Marie Claire, "7 Things Every Makeup Artist Wants You to Know," 22 Mar. 2017
In that round, his birdie bid at the 18th for a 62 lipped out of the cup.

— jesse smithey, Detroit Free Press, "Masters predictions: Other than Tiger Woods, who contends at Augusta?," 31 Mar. 2018
Schwarzenegger’s chief skills are leaning against things, looking confused and having good hair, while Thorne struggles to convincingly lip sync.

— barbara vandenburgh, azcentral, "Bella Thorne doesn't look very sick in tearjerker ‘Midnight Sun’," 23 Mar. 2018
After the final four all-stars performed their routines, they were interviewed by the fellow queens who got to choose who would be the top two contestants to lip sync for their legacy.

— gabe bergado, Teen Vogue, "The “RuPaul’s Drag Race: All-Stars” Finale Was Spoiled by Miley Cyrus and Fans Are Annoyed," 16 Mar. 2018
For a couple that spent over a decade staying very tight-lipped about their relationship, the past two years have been a bit of a creative renaissance for the Carters.

— refinery29.com, "I Hope OTRII Is The Last Joint Tour From Beyoncé & Jay-Z," 12 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of lip

1589

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

lip Synonyms

Synonyms

bathe, lap, lave, splash, wash;

Related Words

bubble, gurgle, plash, ripple, slosh;

lip-

combining form

variants: or lipo-

Definition of lip-

: fat : fatty tissue : fatty

lipoid

lipoprotein

Origin and Etymology of lip-

New Latin, from Greek, from lipos — more at leave

LIP Defined for English Language Learners

lip

noun

Definition of lip for English Language Learners

: either one of the two soft parts that surround the mouth
: the edge of a cut or hole
: the edge of a container especially where it is slightly spread out

LIP Defined for Kids

lip

noun \ ˈlip \

Definition of lip for Students

1 : either of the two folds of flesh that surround the mouth

2 : the edge of a hollow container (as a jar) especially where it is slightly spread out

3 : an edge (as of a wound) like or of flesh

4 : an edge that sticks out

the lip of a roof

—

lipped

\ˈlipt\ adjective

Medical Dictionary

lip

noun \ ˈlip \

medical Definition of lip

1 : either of the two fleshy folds which surround the opening of the mouth in humans and many other vertebrates and in humans are organs of speech essential to certain articulations; also : the pinkish or reddish margin of a human lip composed of nonglandular mucous membrane and usually exposed when the mouth takes on its natural set

2 : an edge of a wound

3 : either of a pair of fleshy folds surrounding an orifice

4 : an anatomical part or structure (as a labium) resembling a lip

—

liplike

play \ˈlip-ˌlīk\ adjective

Learn More about lip

See words that rhyme with lip Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for lip Spanish Central: Translation of lip Nglish: Translation of lip for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of lip for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about lip

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lip

Definition of lip

lipless

liplike

Examples of lip in a Sentence

Recent Examples of lip from the Web

Origin and Etymology of lip

lip

Definition of lip

Examples of lip in a Sentence

Recent Examples of lip from the Web

First Known Use of lip

lip Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

lip

Definition of lip

Examples of lip in a Sentence

Recent Examples of lip from the Web

First Known Use of lip

lip Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

lip-

Definition of lip-

Origin and Etymology of lip-

LIP Defined for English Language Learners

lip

Definition of lip for English Language Learners

LIP Defined for Kids

lip

Definition of lip for Students

lipped

Medical Dictionary

lip

medical Definition of lip

liplike

Learn More about lip

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